The cybercriminals penetrated the company after sending malicious emails to executives

Back in 2009, right before it was preparing to acquire China Huiyuan Juice Group, the systems of world-renowned beverage company Coca Cola were hacked. It’s believed that the hackers stole a large number of files and the incident might have even affected the acquisition.

According to Bloomberg, Coca Cola has never publicized the fact that its networks were penetrated, despite the fact that three days after the incident occurred, the deal to acquire Huiyuan collapsed.

Coca Cola representatives did not provide any details, saying that security matters could not be discussed, but sources revealed that the hackers – allegedly part of a group known as Comment – gained access to the company’s systems by sending malicious emails to various executives.

The messages contained attachments that looked legitimate, but in reality they hid all sorts of malicious elements, including keyloggers.

Coca Cola only learned of the breach after the FBI quietly contacted the company’s executives.